Environment Canada is taking sides after conflicting reports from the continent's leading rodent prognosticators.
While Wiarton Willie and Shubenacadie Sam in Atlantic Canada are calling for an early spring, Punxsutawney Phil and Manitoba Merv think we are in for six more weeks of winter.
Folklore has it if a groundhog sees its shadow on February 2, it will run back into its burrow and winter will reign for another month and a half. If it does not, spring is right around the corner.
If Senior Climatologist David Phillips was a groundhog, you might say he did not see his shadow when he stepped outdoors Thursday morning.
"We think winter is going to carry on a little into February next week, but we see the trend is being actually warmer than normal," he says.
Fortunately, Phillips is very much human and with the aid of the latest forecasting technology predicts a relatively warm February and March.
That does not mean you should put away the winter coat and boots just yet. Winter can be unpredictable, and Phillips says we might still get a cold spell or two yet.
"There's still some winter in the air," says Phillips, noting that December and January were warmer than usual. "We think the trend looks like, 'hay!', what you see is what you're going to get."
